In response to Google and AT&T rolling out faster Internet, Cox Communications will boost download speeds to 1 gigabit per second in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Omaha, Nebraska, later this year.

Right now, Cox's fastest speed is 50 megabit, so this upgrade is a huge one.

Cox will add 1 gigabit speed to any new residential home nationwide in places it already serves, such as Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Orange County, California; Providence, Rhode Island; San Diego; and Tucson, Arizona.

The company also plans to double the most popular tiers of Internet service for all its customers this year — boosting those with 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps and those with 50 Mbps to 100 Mpbs. The two tiers represent 70 percent of all Cox's customers.